Crazy Lady Rides Again -- Below Freezing, Windchill @ 20


I was stressed out today for a number of reasons and so decided to do a ride a little after 6 p.m. Local tv website says it's 31 degrees, but just 20 with the wind chill. Coldest day I have ever ridden. I managed a good ride anyway. Warm & toasty upper body. Slightly chilled lower. More on how that's possible.

Too many things to do today and so couldn't get my ride in during the day. I've been sick, too. Morning sickness...would you believe? Throwing up every morning for several days until I finally went on my soda cracker and ginger ale diet. No, the usual explanation for that would not fit!

Anyway, I was running off to my massage therapy appointment and stopped by the Regional Center for Independent Living to drop off something for my advocate. Turned into their narrow driveway, and hit the curb with my right front tire. That curb is apparently very sharp, because it tore up my tire. No way was I going anywhere.

East Avenue Auto was less than half a block down, fortunately. But the tow driver locked my keys in the car and I didn’t have my usual spare in my purse (long story). Anyway, they jimmied the lock and I finally got the spare tire put on. I will have to replace the tire — an almost brand new tire. I think I bought those just this summer. Fortunately my mechanic, whom I called from the other garage, said yes, every tire they put on has road hazard insurance. (Thank you Sam!) So I’ll get a new one hopefully with not too much expense. (But see addendum below.)

Then I got home after dropping the tire off at Lovetro's, and I find that Frontier has completely changed its voice mail system into something humongously complicated and it took me forever to get my message from my MT, and I had to re-set my whole voice mail in the meantime, listening to these long, incredibly complicated voice directions with a zillion different options and numbers to punch. And when I punched the ones I was supposed to I got a message something like "that number is not a valid option." Then I got a customer service guy — the men are the worst because they just don't know how to listen — who, shall we say, did not represent the company well.

I wrote a really nasty e-mail to the company’s customer service. I’ll bet they never did focus groups on their instructions with ordinary people, much less consider those of us who have cognitive and attention difficulties.

Their instructions — both voice and printed — would get an F from me in a communications class. A total nightmare.

Ok, I'm very distracted. I was going to write about my ride in the cold!

After fuming about all that for a while I finally decided the best thing for me would be to go for a bike ride. Yes, it's after dark. Yes, it's cold, with a bitter headwind. But one thing I have learned is that presenting yourself with a physical challenge, and then conquering it, can really help you to deal with mental and emotional issues. And then, of course, there are the pure physical results of it -- exercise is one of the best de-stressors there is.

It took me a while to put on all my gear. Well, part of the time was spent finding it! Anyway, here's the trick: four layers on top -- long underwear, knit shirt, sweatshirt, and squall jacket; three layers on the bottom -- long underwear, tight knit pants, windbreaker pants over it all; plus several accessories: leg warmers on the calves, a thermal ski hood with built-in muffler (covering everything but my eyes -- fits well under the helmet), a knit headband that people usually wear over their ears but I use as a neck-warmer (it won't fit under my helmet anyway). And, of course, heavy-duty Thinsulate mittens and my mid-calf snow boots.

Turned out the upper body was a bit too warm after some riding, but I'll take too warm over cold any day. Lower body set-up could use a little work. But it wasn't too bad. I think a pair of squall pants should do it.

Though I am having second thoughts about the idea of riding in the ice and snow. Took my first tumble off the bike yesterday. Turned a little too tight and slipped on a patch of wet leaves. Fortunately with my hybrid I sit pretty low to the ground, so I didn't have far to fall. And I was on a sidewalk, not in traffic. Bruised a knee, but no big deal. It was just a little scary going down.

Posted: Thu - November 17, 2005 at 07:55 PM          

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